#we'll probably find out in the next couple episodes

[aflawedfashion]

I think it's good that Shelly hooked up with that professor woman. Shelly's been having sex with a lot of random men, but she's been terrified of her relationship with Bambi. It's the early 1970s and she's realizing she's queer later in life, which is understandably scary.

She also has genuine feelings for Bambi which she doesn't have for this woman or any of the random men she's been hooking up with, but ultimately, I think it's good for Shelly to treat sex with a woman the way she treats sex with men. It'll normalize it for her, and I think it's an important step for her to grow as a person. Once she comes to terms with her queerness and normalizes it, she can address her feelings for Bambi and figure out what she wants from that relationship.

[ivy-plays]

Hello!

Since you write for Helluva Boss, I thought I could request something for it! It's just that this one is pretty specific so you don't have to write if you don't want to! It was just a fun little idea I had while I was watching a movie.

I was wondering if I could request for 'Blitzø x Jessica Rabbit like S/O' romantic headcanons?

Hi!!! I'm so glad you sent In a request. I immediately got ideas as soon as I read your request! I hope you like it and have a good rest of your day/ night!.

Warnings: none really. If I missed any let me know

Paring: Blitzø x Jessica Rabbit! Reader.

Relationship: romantic

Okay so starting off with how the two of you would have met.

You would honestly probably work out of the lust ring mostly because they just seem to have a higher quantity of singers and performers that fit the vibe.

Anyway

The two of you meet during the events of the episode where moxie takes Millie to Ozzy's.

You were performing that night and Blitzø couldn't help but not look away from you as the stage lights hit your red sequence dress just right creating an effect that made it seem you were glowing. That coupled with your sultry singing voice the man was hooked deep.

Blitzø had caught your eye while you were on stage as you noticed a goitcia prince sitting across from him.

That peaked your Interest. And throughout the rest of your set you observed the imp rather closely,and you would be a liar if you were to say he wasn't good looking.

After you are done with your set and made your way off stage and towards the bar Blitzø had managed to slip away from Stolas and made his way over to the bar and over to you.

When he introduced himself you turned your head ever so slightly to look at him and a soft smile graced your ruby red lips.

The two of you talked for a while until your stage manager came over and called you back stage to prepare for your next set.

You wave off your Manager with a promise to follow behind shortly.

Turning back to Blitzø you gently cupped the side of his face and leaned in promising to see him again while secretly slipping a slip of paper with your number on it into his jacket pocket.

It would be a few weeks later that the two of you would meet in person again. The two of you had been talking over the phone during that time just getting to know each other,but tonight the both of you were free so you were taking the opportunity to meet up.

The two of you would meet at a nice ( but not fancy. Just not dirty and has a good health score) restaurant.

The night went well and the both of you had lots of fun and that would end up being how the two of you got together.

Now for the actual relationship

Blitzø would be very protective of you.

Not because he didn't think you were weak by any means, but just because you were pretty famous across hell .

Whenever you weren't busy with practices or performances you would spend your time at I.M.P. .

You got on pretty well with Millie the two of you finding plenty of things to talk about. Moxie didn't mind you either and actually would be extremely reluctant to believe that Blitzø had managed to get such a famous and beautiful person to date him.

And as for you and Loona we'll. Loona took a bit to warm up to you but after you actually got her to have a conversation with you she realized you weren't as bad as she thought. Epically after you told the young hellhound that if she wanted she could get her into most parties/ higher class places without a reservation.

Blitzø didn't initially tell Stolaz about your relationship ( though he did tell you about the arrangement he had with the prince and was surprised that you didn't really mind).

And with how attached Stolaz is to Blitzø sometimes it wasn't long before he found out that the two of you were together.

He was upset at first but ultimately just wanted Blitzø to be happy. Stolaz of course knew who you were and had seen a few of your performances before.

(it's up to you to decide whether or not y'all become a thruple. But since it's not in the request I won't specify.)

Over all your relationship would be pretty solid. You would shower him in love and affection and he did the same to you.

And you already know the bedroom life is 🤌(y'all probably had a threesome with Stolaz a few times. 👀 )

You would use your connections to help I.M.P if they ever needed Intel,and you would spread the word about their business around which brought in a lot of New clients.

With how often you performed at Ozzy's you had formed a close friendship with the king of lust and his jester boyfriend.

So when the giant blue chicken burst into Ozzy's with a worried expression on his face you quickly grew confused.

Ozzy went on to pick you up and rushed back out the doors and back to his palace, and while on the way he explained to you that Vizz and Blitzø had been kidnapped by Crimson and Striker.

(everything that happened in the episode happens and after Vizz returned to Ozzy, you and Stolaz left the palace and you ,as fast as you could, made your way back to your shared apartment.

When you saw Blitzø you immediately brought him into your arms and buried your face in his neck as a few stray tears slid down your face from the relief of him being safe and back home.

After Blitzø recovered from momentary shock he firmly wrapped his own arms around you , resting his head atop your head.

The two of you spent the rest of the night cuddled together.

I hoped you liked it! It got a little longer and a little more rambling than I meant it to lol. But it's my first time writing In a few months. So the word vomit is real .

[tfp-is-my-lifeblood-lol]

Tfp Autobots Encountering the Mind-Control Cell Phones from Rescue Bots

(Because it canonically exists in the Alligned continuity, and I'm abusing that knowledge to torment my favorite little meow meows)

I've been wanting to write these headcanons. Might do Decepticons next.

Context for if you haven't seen the Rescue Bots episode "Spell Bound": A human named Madeline Pynch creates mind-control phones that hypnotize both humans and Cybertronians to dig up Blossom Vale (part of Griffin Rock)

Optimus Prime:

-He's the only one who's immune to the phones' power

-Lucky for him, the Matrix of Leadership can protect him from that kind of influence

-Because of that, he'd be the first to discover something isn't right with the humans, and eventually the other Bots when they'd start acting strange.

-He'd notice they're groundbridging to Griffin Rock with no explanation, and that they keep saying the phrase: "The project is the priority."

-Plus, their voices. Sure, they sound normal on the surface, but Optimus is very perceptive, and would pick up on the slight lack of emotion, and artificial tone when they speak.

-Throughout this mess, Optimus mainly confides in Ratchet

"What is going on?" Ratchet would muse, almost awestruck by the strange behavior of the others.

"I am unsure," Optimus would reply. "But I believe something is deeply amiss, old friend."

-Both of them would be struggling to uncover what this mysterious "project" is, and why the other Bots and humans have suddenly become so obsessed with it.

Arcee:

-She's the first Bot that falls under the spell; Jack's the first human to fall under, and he'd infect her

-Jack's responsible, empathetic personality works against him when he finds a golden cellphone abandoned at school.

"Someone must've lost this." He'd say. "I'd...better return it, right? I mean...I'd hate for someone to be freaking out, wondering where their phone is."

"I think they'll be fine without their phone for a couple of hours," Arcee would quip. "Come on, it's go-time. We've gotta get back to base."

-Then it rings

"I'd...better get that." Jack would say.

Arcee would playfully role her eyes and smile. "Alright. We'll go back after you've done your good deed for the day. But make it quick."

-Upon answering the call, Jack's whole body suddenly goes rigid. "The project is the priority."

"Uhh...Jack...?" Arcee would press, nervous about her partner's abrupt shift in demeanor.

-Arcee would vent to Bulkhead. "Something's seriously wrong with Jack," and beg Ratchet for help. "Ratchet, come on. He's gotta be...I don't know, sick, or something, right? He's not acting...human."

-But soon, Jack would attach a phone to her in vehicle mode, and she'd be sucked in as well.

-Arcee's mind control would be subtle. She's naturally stoic, after all. The others might mistake her drone-like behavior for her usual closed-off personality, even when Optimus asks her to go on a mission, and she flatly replies: "...Can't..." Perhaps she's just having a rough day thinking about her lost partners. But suspicions rise when she and Jack disappear to Griffin Rock.

-Even in trance, Arcee maintains her stealth and agility, making her a formidable opponent.

Bulkhead:

-He'd get infected by his human charge, just like Arcee.

-Miko is SUPER suspicious of Jack's strange, zombie-like behavior, so she tracks him down and calls him out on it. She'd assume it's the work of Decepticons.

"Yeah, ok, Jack. You think you can fool me. Come on, dude! You're acting like Megatron barbecued your brain! You're some kind of mind-controlled zombie! But, don't worry, Jack Rabbit! I'll find a way to fix you up. Otherwise, Bulk's gonna bash you into zombie smithereens!"

-Jack would probably have to battle Miko to get her to listen to the call, but eventually, she'd become hypnotized, too.

-Now THAT'S a HUGE red flag for Bulkhead, and, well, EVERYONE

-MIKO is acting stoic and speaking in a monotone? OUR MIKO?

-Oh, Primus, no.

"Miko," Bulkhead would say, holding Miko's electric guitar. "Don't'cha wanna play your favorite song?"

"No time..." The girl would say blankly, and Bulkhead would drop the guitar in pure shock.

-It won't be long before Bulkhead pulls Miko aside to ask what's going on.

"This will explain everything..." Miko drones, showing Bulk a strange golden cellphone.

"A...cellphone?" Bulkhead questions. "Where'd you get that?"

"Answer it."

-Poor Bulkhead is fooled. He takes the call, and now there's two Autobots down.

-Bulkhead's mind-controlled state would definitely raise a few eyebrows. At first, it'd seem like he's just deeply lost in thought, but when it's time to battle, and he suddenly has no interest in kicking some tailpipe, it's clear something's wrong.

-Luckily, he's still pretty clumsy.

Bumblebee:

-Now, Bumblebee's situation is interesting

-He doesn't get infected by Raf.

-Rather, he gets infected trying to save Raf from becoming infected when a hypnotized Jack and Miko try to assimilate him.

-Poor Raf would be like: "Bumblebee, no! You don't have to do this to save me! I need you!"

-Unfortunately, Jack and Miko break their promise to spare Raf in exchange for Bumblebee joining them, so now all the humans are under, and nearly every Bot.

-Bumblebee's mind-controlled state is similar to when Megatron possessed him, only slightly less dangerous (I mean, come on. That was Megatron. You can't get much more dangerous than that).

-Bumblebee's is also the most obvious (besides Miko, of course). Bumblebee's such a sweetheart, it's easy to tell he isn't himself. Plus, his buzzing sounds different under mind-control. It's lower, and duller.

-Even while hypnotized, Raf is the only human who understand's Bumblebee when he speaks, so the two work together, unlike the others. The phones numb all emotions, so Bulkhead and Miko, as well as Arcee and Jack seem to have forgotten they're partners. Bee and Raf mainly work together because it's practical.

Ratchet:

-Poor Ratchet's going through it😂

-It took a LOT of fighting, but he managed to scan the others with his medical scanner.

-Ratchet is the one who figures out the phones are emitting a hypnosis-inducing frequency. Optimus is grateful for his help.

-However, with everyone else hypnotized, Ratchet gets cornered, and hypnotized himself.

-Poor guy. He tried to help them.

-Mind-controlled Ratchet is pretty scary

-Keep in mind, victims of the Pynch Phones maintain their intelligence

-Ratchet becomes a precise, calculating machine. He's gonna FIND that gold, and, if you try to stop him, he'll get you out of his way however he deems fit.

BONUS: Aftermath/Optimus is goated:

-Optimus manages to save the others by crushing the phones. Who knows? Maybe he and Megatron even had to team up.

-The others are super guilty upon snapping out of it. Bee is like a confused puppy, Bulkhead is furious, and Arcee is horrified (Jack keeps having to assure her he's ok). Ratchet has, like, a hangover because his neural net is too old for this mind-control shit.

-Optimus makes sure everyone knows it wasn't their fault. He's such a kind dude.

-Madeline Pynch should probably run. Messing with the Rescue Bots is one thing, but THIS is Team Prime. Optimus may be a pacifist, but Pynch endangered human lives. That's a biiiiig no-no when it comes to Optimus. He probably won't hurt her, per se, but she's in for a world of karma, because the other Bots aren't so forgiving,

[likealittleheartbeat]

hey! i really enjoy your analysis of aang and zuko's relationship, and i was just wondering if you have any thoughts on this:

when aang considers what he's afraid of the most, he doesn't just see zuko - he sees the blue spirit. why do you think his fear is linked to that mask? zuko was the most amicable towards him when he put that mask on, and was hostile every other time.

Ooooh!! This is such a rich and meaty question!! And it's something I've wondered about but never dove into before.

I guess there are a couple of questions we need to explore. One, do we want to begin to analyze this from Aang's perspective or the series' themes, which, when put together, should offer us the fullest idea of what the intent might be? If we begin with Aang's perspective, then the next question we need to next ask what is Aang's view of Zuko and/or the Blue Spirit at this point in the narrative? My worry about beginning at that intimate level is that we might miss possible connections that a thematic understanding might facilitate and may, like many fandom analyses, leave it at a character level when, in fact, the characters exist to serve larger philosophical purposes, especially in a show like ATLA.

So, we'll return to those questions about Aang after we visit some questions about the broader themes here. We know for a fact that the team did a lot of research into Eastern philosophies that they had to then pack down into 24 minute episodes, preserving a surprising amount of complexity not in the words but in the actions and visuals. The 2 part Crossroads of Destiny episode is probably the most evocative of this practice. The four-way fight scene is celebrated for the way it masterfully shows character development through fight choreography. Then, Aang's crystal chamber he forms to master the Avatar State is a direct reference to a statement about pre-enlightenment in one of the foundational texts about Japanese Zen for American Buddhists, "The Three Pillars of Zen." The rapid explanations of the seven chakras with Guru Pathik might seem like a a skimming of Tantric beliefs based on the brief statements and processing, but it's another prime example the way ATLA suffuses meaning beyond the script.

What more can be said about the Earth (also called the Root or Muladhara) Chakra, then, that the show might reflect without stating it explicitly. Guru Pathik explains that the Earth Chakra "deals with survival." Is there any subject more prescient than that for our protagonist, the single survivor of an otherwise all-encompassing genocide? Other accounts of this chakra that I can find explain that it's at this chakra that one can observe that their base needs are being met--enough food, enough water, etc. There seems to be a subtle witnessing to the effects of PTSD here then. With this chakra untouched, unopened, and out of balance, Aang within his mind has been living in a state of emergency without knowing it, believing himself at a core level beyond his consciousness to still be under immediate threat even in moments of peace like his meditations throughout the opening of his chakras. "Your vision is not real," Guru Pathik points out, not to say that no danger exists for him in the world but to illuminate the immediate reality surrounding his person.

The memories and visions that flash during the sequence hint at how fear conceals deeper realities and thus possibilities. I'll start with the clip of Katara sinking away from the first episode of Book 2, "The Avatar State." The Earth Kingdom General performed this cruelty after many other attempts to force Aang into suffering to gain the Avatar State. Believing he lost another person he loved, the state was triggered despite the actuality that Katara was unharmed. The fear of her loss overwhelmed Aang, and even her safe return could not assuage his traumatic response. The Blue Spirit incident forms a striking parallel to this event, in that case. Aang felt himself helpless and in danger only to discover the opposite: the seemingly malevolent force freed him from danger. Further, that Blue Spirit Mask concealed Zuko who, by the end of the series, will be revealed (to himself and) Aang as an ally and a friend. The shadowy image of Ozai, then, connected with these two fear-inducing semblances, can be seen then as perhaps the ultimate foreshadowing of Aang's ultimate success in pacifying Ozai. Put in the context of this chakra and the other two visions, it frames the Firelord as a facade meant to induce terror and distance, when in reality, life and humanity still lay behind the horrifying megalomania.

Concerning the Blue Spirit element specifically in the series, I want to explore one more factor within the series before getting back to Aang's character relationship in this moment. Blue has a running symbolic theme within the series that seems especially relevant here since it played a huge role in a highly symbolic part of the directly previous episode, "The Earth King." As Zuko rides out his psychogenic fever induced by releasing Aang's bison and abandoning his Blue Spirit mask, he is confronted in his dreams by a blue dragon voiced by Azula and a red dragon voiced by Iroh. I felt really confused by these two would-be shoulder angels for the longest time (literally until I was sorting my thoughts out to write this) because Azula's blue dragon is the one who entreats Zuko to rest, which even in Grey Delisle/Azula's clearly threatening tone--she even ends the temptation by saying "sleep just like mother!"--seemed to be what Zuko needed to do as opposed to the red dragon's exhortations to get out. I could see how sleeping might also refer to accepting his upbringing without thought, but why blue? The layers upon layers of possible meaning overwhelmed me.

I posit that blue in the series, especially when put in relationship to red/orange, as it is in the dream sequence, the dynamic between the water tribe and the fire nation, the fire of zuko and azula (especially the final agni kai), and the energy-bending of Aang over Ozai in the finale, ought to be read as Yin (making red/orange yang). Yin is passive, retractive, and receptive, which makes the invitation to rest by a blue dragon make perfect sense. Yin is also feminine in nature, hence the association with both Azula (whose blue fire and lightning becomes especially interesting to explore under this understanding) and Zuko's mother in the dualistic dragon dream. If you know anything about yin and yang, you know that it's key tenet is ever-changing coordination of yin and yang within one entity and with relationships between entities rather than the privileging of one above another. The two dragons in Zuko's dream, while seemingly in opposition to one another, are actually seeking, like the bumper stickers say, "coexistence" of their dispositions.

Now, back to Aang's vision of fear over the Blue Spirit. The red that overlays everything is specifically a reference to the Earth Chakra, which is symbolized by the color red. But the fact that he has one fear of Katara, the pinnacle of blueness/yin in the series, dying, and another fear of the Blue Spirit, a de-flamed (read: emasculated) Zuko attacking him that are then overlayed by this Earth Chakra red, a color otherwise used to portray yang (masculinity, activeness, expansion, and repulsion) and the fire nation in the series, suggests that his fears are specifically about within holding onto yin nature (symbolized by his grasping for a disappearing Katara) without being entirely overwhelmed by it (in the image of the fear he felt as the Blue Spirit approached his imprisoned body). And all those fears are intensified when living in such a patriarchal, or yang-skewed age and society, which gets depicted through both the final image of Ozai, the ultimate patriarch within this world, and the red coloring.

I promised I would get back to the characters, and after that hopefully illuminating thematic expansion, we can hopefully get at the core of what's going on here for Aang personally and what it might mean for him to be picturing Zuko with the Blue Spirit mask as a fear. I want to put this moment into context with Aang and Zuko's relationship at this specific moment. Aang hasn't seen Zuko since he watched him cry over his uncle in the ghost town after Azula struck him with lightning as a diversion. That was ten episodes prior (and more than 6 months time if you were watching the show in real time as it premiered; May 26th-Dec. 1st). The next time Aang sees Zuko, two episodes later, they are glowering across a crystal prison cell at one another with antipathy as they're embraced (a gesture I can only remember from the fantastic black romance film Love & Basketball, and in a gay context that is clearly referencing that moment in L&B, in the Norwegian teen romance series Skam). Right before this scene, Aang readily agrees to co-rescue Zuko and Katara with Uncle Iroh despite Sokka's protestations. Nothing seems amiss with Aang, no obvious belligerence toward Zuko until he sees him. Zuko has barely seen the airbender this whole season, and the one moment they encountered one another, Zuko was attacking Aang's attacker rather than him. Why is Aang expressing anger toward Zuko in the crystal chamber then? It's a rare expression from Aang even when we look at their more antagonistic interactions from the first season.

Here's where this vision of the blue spirit Aang envisions as he opens his earth chakra might enliven his characterization and his relationship to Zuko. We get two pieces here. His attachment to Katara and the queer implications of his partnership with the Blue Spirit/Zuko. And they are inseparable.

I don't feel that I need to especially dive into the attachment to Katara since it's been a pretty big component of discourse within the fandom, both in general analysis and more specifically relating to the (literally historic) shipping wars between zutara and kataang that emerged after the series came out originally. What I'll say here is that the first vision that Aang has as he addresses his root chakra points to his fear of losing her and what she represents pretty explicitly and, as I suggested earlier, also provides its antidote in the realization that accepting/surrendering the fear of impermanence reveals its simultaneous illusion. Katara wasn't actually harmed and wasn't truly lost when the general subsumed her into the ground. Aang has to let go of her as a permanent fixture that he'll always be able to see and know entirely (not, as many have interpreted it, let go of loving her). He'll also have to let go of saving her and the world of so many others she represents, which is as much a pressure and role Katara and others put on him as Aang yolks himself to.

Part of this acknowledgement of Katara's impermanence as a living being and a romantic possibility is addressing the others in her life who pose both danger and attraction for her. Zuko embodies both of these things simultaneously. The aggressive stare Aang launches at Zuko in "The Crossroads of Destiny" can be understood through this lens. The Eve Sedgwick's concept of the triangulation of male homosocial desire between romantic rivals was one of the foundational ideas of queer theory. It's so well-established as to be a meme among the tumblr crowd. The show even references the history of these literary homosocial tropes in "The Avatar and the Firelord" as Sozin and Roku's tight-knit youthful friendship is slowly rent apart at the event of Roku's heterosexual marriage, which thus begins the imperialism of the Fire nation.

Except that Roku and Sozin aren't romantic rivals. And Zuko's obsession with Aang begins sans Katara. And, as you pointed out, if the romantic threat is Zuko, it ought to be Zuko in the Earth Chakra vision instead of the Blue Spirit? Well, those all exist because ATLA is not a tragedy for homosocial relationships, and it's hard for me to explain how groundbreaking that was.

You see, the show theorizes homosociality differently. If Aang is required to let go of Katara, he has no pivot point, no object (because women shouldn't be objects for male fodder!) to connect with and compete with a rival male, so he has to look directly at the desire of another male for him and, therefore, face the fears that he might have similar desires. I said above that the Blue Spirit is an entirely de-flamed Zuko, which I then paralleled to emasculation. One could even go farther to call it a kind of symbolic castration (Firelord Ozai losing his firebending at the end of the series certainly demands this kind of reading). These aspects ignite fears about lacking masculinity which then cause reactions, which make men avoid accepting any thoughts and behaviors associated with vulnerability and homosexuality invoked within themselves or by others.

I think Aang, in his way, is confronting these fears but not from the angle of someone raised within a homophobic or misogynistic culture. His openness to Zuko and the potential of connection to him is ripe from the first time they meet--"you're just a teenager" connects them without any intermediary. He comes to understand the rigidness of the environment he's in, though. He feels like he's being forced to choose between a yang/masculine role he plays with Katara, who at this point in the series though growing out of it and certainly not a fault of her own making still sees him as her savior and depends on him to save her and the world through metaphysical mastery and the repulsion of evil, and yin/feminine role he plays with Zuko, who finds Aang in and forces him into positions of elusion, surrender, and passivity, while requiring his compassion and forgiveness. When the Blue Spirit comes swinging his swords (read that with all the innuendos you want lol) at a shackled Aang, it's the ultimate expression of Aang's potential for submissiveness because, not only is he entirely helpless but the one who could harm or save him in that scenario is another who is not participating in the expected power of fire/yang/masculinity.

I think everything in the show says this is attractive to Aang--that he remains with Zuko immediately after their escape from the fort, that he reflects on the Blue Spirit as he opens his chakras, that a reference to the conversation that followed their escape that Zuko makes halts him in his tracks when Zuko asks to join the team. Zuko's Blue Spirit persona means a lot to Aang, a scary amount, and my point is that it's this fear of the meaningfulness of their encounter as two men who are not the masculine paragons they are supposed to be which Aang faces as he opens his chakra. As much as he wants Katara, he wants Zuko. He fears he'll lose Katara and he fears he'll lose his life to Zuko. These are the dichotomies he's tackling as he processes the Earth chakra.

Aang eventually opens the chakra, but that's only to say he acknowledges and surrenders his fears to a destiny and understanding beyond his control, not that he necessarily learns how to address and solve all the conundrums contained therein. We know he chooses his attachment to Katara at the end of the episode to obtain power over the Avatar state but perhaps we could've been clued into this choice by noticing he has not chosen Zuko with that initial glare Aang gives him. Aang hasn't found a way in his chakras or his heart to hold both Katara and Zuko at once, so he chooses Katara and expresses a newfound jealousy and rivalry toward Zuko (not that Zuko's at his best behavior at this point, but it's Aang who initiates the exchange).

By the end of this season, Zuko abandons the Blue Spirit mask and Aang loses his life for prioritizing Katara and a yang-centric mastery of the Avatar state. The next season involves all three of the protagonists finding more internal balance between yin and yang for themselves and accepting mutually reciprocal feelings for one another that allow them to escape the kinds of patriarchal tropes that have dominated Anglo- literature for centuries. The ability of this brief sequence to highlight so many of the series' central revolutionary themes speaks to the depth of the show and the way it invites the audience to think about rich subtext rather than pedantically hammer us with morals will just continue to be the gift that keeps giving from this show.

Thanks so much for asking! Didn't know how much I missed doing a deep dive into this kind of stuff.

[autisticlalna]

"You Were Right" (and a behind the scenes on how we got here)

initially i was gonna make a post going over all of Anathra's lore so far but then i realized i do not quite have the spoons for it, and also i'd like to break it up into easier to cover parts anyway. so let's jump straight into the most recent mystery!

i've already talked before about the hidden messages in Rubyco's videos, and about the split-second easter eggs in Viking's. encrypted messages aren't exactly new to Skyblock Kingdoms.

but, okay, let's rewind a little. it's 1 am, a couple days before Anathra's episode 8 premieres. i'm winding down for bed, see the premiere on my homepage, and go: hey! i wonder what Anathra's doing next episode!

hey what the fuck is that. why is there elder furthark

a bit of backstory on me: i love translating things. you probably know this by now. i also knew a guy who was big into norse mythology stuff, and that included him knowing elder furthark. so i immediately peg that as "oh, shit, that's elder furthark" and track down a translation tool.

("why are you going into backstory" we'll get to that. lol lmao.)

anyway, its 1 am, i run it through the first tool i find, and get:

someþiŋ ' weird ' happened

...or "something weird happened".

COOL. THAT'S OMINOUS.

i go to bed. when i wake up, Moxi has shared something from Anathra's discord:

...but i can't figure out what it translates to.

timeskip to the premiere.

Anathra gets a delivery from the End Kingdom after helping Josh out with villager stuff. he goes to place the shulker down, it's suddenly nighttime, and...

hey, what

iou were right

...okay, here's where we loop back to that backstory bit, and also i pull back the curtain to showcase how hilariously bad this went for the dnerds.

i recognized the alphabet as elder furthark

(and yet my dyslexic ass doesnt realize theres two rs in it until now. it has been 5 years.)

trying to translate the box name gave me gibberish ("io nht tuil")

i also knew from the "something weird happened" message that elder furthark isnt 1:1 with the english alphabet

oops there are two translator tools. oops they use different runes for "y"

due to [gestures at cherry and doak], there is a minor scuffle about if it says "you" or if it actually IS supposed to say "iou"

we still cant translate the box

still cant translate the discord message either. this is about to be really funny

people in the sbkcd are also translating it, so we compare notes

anathra steps in to save us:

THANK YOU ANATHRA <3

i am immediately embarrassed because, oops, turns out Angerthas (dwarven runs from Lord of the Rings) has alphabet overlap with elder furthark, so that's where the confusion came from. seeing as it's a post-filming decision, that does mean that the episode description and chat message were translated correctly, but the box is in Angerthas and, despite having the same runes, they do not correspond to the same english letters.

i spend a bit alternating between bonking myself for my mistake and bonking my very tired head against Angerthas for a bit until WhiteQry suggests that maybe what Anathra said in chat is the same thing. later, Aquelon is able to translate it as "IU WER RAIT". or,

YOU WERE RIGHT

...right about what?

skipping back to the events of the episode: Anathra realizes that he's lost time. he says he's only felt this "once before", doesn't know what the writing is, and is generally thrown off by... whatever just happened.

i need to rewatch Anathra's pov before i can dig into what i think the message means-- my initial guess is that it has something to do with his ?nightmare? from episode 5, although im not sure past that. considering his pov plays with the concept of the fourth wall a bit as-is, the message also might not be for Anathra (and he can't read it with glasses on either way).

Anathra's in the middle of something. there's a lot going on with him, inside and outside, and i really want to do more overviews of his lore because it's very fun. until then, keep an eye out for more strange messages i guess.

-

"hey leo you didn't translate the furthark in the 'glasses off' message, what gives" WELL, YOU SEE. I WAS TOO BUSY BEING EMBARRASSED AT THE TIME TO PROCESS IT. AND IT WASNT UNTIL WRITING THIS POST AND GETTING THAT SCREENSHOT THAT I SAW IT AND WENT "wait. hold on" AND RAN IT THROUGH THE TRANSLATOR.

AND THEN REALIZED, AFTER FOUR DAYS, THAT ITS THE URL OF THE SITE IM USING TO TRANSLATE THIS AND IT JUST GOT KINDA MANGLED BECAUSE OF THE "NOT 1:1 WITH ENGLISH ALPHABET" THING.

im in hysterics. how did this happen. please dont ever think im professional. all of these super cool in-depth explainer posts are the end result of so much clownery but i needed to show you guys just how much of a MESS this is lmao

[lemotmo]

Hello lovely, I am the anon blog and I am so sorry! I feel your pain because life in the trenches sucks. I don't allow my stuff to be posted to Twitter either, that place is a dumpster fire of vileness. I never know what people are sending to you but I have posted a message on my blog asking everyone to take a break for a bit. I'm not sure how this became a big deal in the first place, lol, but it can be very overwhelming and is very much why I go out of my way these days to be harder to find. My ask box is a lot. I do check in on your blog from time to time and will be happy to tell people to stop sharing with you at any time. I think we're close to the end though so hopefully peace will be restored relatively soon to both our blogs. I am so sorry for any trouble, that any of my followers might have caused. You seem so lovely and I don't want to be a party to anything that is troubling or upsetting. I hope your break is peaceful 💗

Hi dear! I'm so happy to hear from you.

I have thought so much about you today. I cannot even imagine what your inbox must look like. I so sympathise.

I very much agree on the Twitter thing. I lurk there once in a while, but never participate. It's a scary place.

As you probably already read on my blog, the lovely anons that send me your messages have reached out to me asking if I wanted them to stop sending them. I told them to keep on sending them, but that I wouldn't be posting them yet. I'm just going to be laying low for a couple of days, before I resume posting them. I refuse to back down because of some bullies. I have been in fandom for too long at this point. I'm too old to be pushed into a corner. xD

Listen, the reason why your posts have become such a big thing is because Tumblr has always been a fairly quiet and peaceful place to ship Buddie. Then episode 7x04 came along and brought utter chaos. Most of us had no idea what was going on. We were flabbergasted. I just remember thinking: 'Yes, Buck is bi now. It's obvious this Tommy guy isn't going to last, so maybe we'll finally get buddie. Everyone will be happy about that.' Anyway, you know what happened next. LOL

We were all over the place during that first hiatus and 7b, never sure what to expect from the whole BT relationship or the obvious Buddie they were still pushing on the show. We needed some stability and common sense back in this fandom and your posts have partly brought that back. I have so many people in my asks talking about your posts in a constructive, meaningful and sensible way. That is exactly what this fandom needs. It doesn't need negativity and spewing hatred and slurs, but it needs logical thinking and the deconstruction of patterns. Next to that you also give us a great insight into the inner workings of fandom. I find it all utterly fascinating.

Thank you for checking in on my blog once in a while. That's really sweet. If it ever comes to a point where I need a break from posting all together, I'll make sure to let you know. But I really don't think I'll ever get to that point, because I too have a feeling that the end of all of this is near.

And don't worry. Don't feel bad about any trouble you or your followers might have caused. I made the choice to post these asks in the first place. I could have backed down at any point, but I didn't. So, no one to blame here. Don't worry.

Have a great week! Feel free to check in once in a while. Oh, when all this is over and done with, don't hesitate to jump into my DMs. I'd love to say 'hi' to the real you one day. I have a feeling we could have some interesting conversations. ;)

❤️❤️❤️

[ghxstlly]

I've been dying to know, What exactly is the resolve of one of your posts you made for the attorney au, "Ego Death".

What exactly happens afterwards?

What happens afterwards? Some... not so good stuff.

Fair warning, I'll be going into some detail about things pertaining to depression and alcoholism and such below the cut.

There's a reason I gave 'Ego Death' that name. Following that spat, the argument where Mr. Becker finally put his misguided, betrayed feelings out in the open and essentially told Mr. Poole he never wants to see him again, Mr. Poole fell into the deepest depression episode he'd ever had.

He felt really just... worthless. He fell almost completely apart, spending a huge amount of time just... laying in bed, crying, working himself up to the point of vomiting and trying to cope with the fact that he'd hurt the one person he'd gotten so attached to, and made him hate him.

He made himself so scared, in fact, that after taking some time off from work to... grieve, we'll call it, he never actually went back, putting himself on a voluntary suspension so as to make sure Becker wouldn't have to see him again. There's some other important details around here, too, that I'll leave for later, as I'm actually in the middle of writing a follow-up to Ego Death, when June realizes he hasn't been at work for awhile and tries to find him. Keep an eye out for that :)

Mr. Becker wasn't doing much better. Right after their argument, he went home and got himself hammered, like always, but was unprepared for the sheer amount of pain he found himself in when he was no longer in a state of mind to keep it under control and hidden from himself.

He was wrecked— in his drunken state he could hardly believe what he'd let himself do, all kinds of horrible frustrations, almost all with himself and his situation, reaching a fever pitch, and the result was probably one of the most volatile fits of rage he'd ever had.

But the next day— he went back to work as if nothing had happened, burying everything he was REALLY feeling under his misdirected indignance and keeping himself distracted with his job.

It wouldn't be until June found out about what had happened from Mr. Poole some month and a half later that anything changed— calling in a few favors, she made the risky decision to talk to Chief Justice Villeneuve and get Mr. Becker suspended from work for a little while so he'd be forced to face his reality— a period of time wherein he nearly self-destructed, drinking to the point of it being almost dangerous, until he eventually gave up trying to fight it and surrendered to June's support.

So... to make a long story into a short-ish one, they were... really not super okay for a couple months after that whole thing went down. :') ;;

[ferallair]

The Minisodes are a Mirror

I've been thinking about the minisodes and how they are a mirror for the three part story we're currently in the middle of and I just wanted to collect my thoughts a bit.

#1 - The Clue/A Companion to Owls

This is a mirror for season 1. Crowley and Aziraphale joining together to defy Heaven and Hell to save humanity. There are a ton of interesting things happening in this episode. Aziraphale trusts Crowley not to destroy the children. Aziraphale eating that entire cow. It's insane, the gluttony of it. It means something about him and his connection to earthly things. They even use the ribs (that he licked clean btw) for their little ruse against the angels. For some reason it brings to mind the body swap in season 1. Aziraphale learns to possess a human(something he's probably not supposed to do, like eating) and use that new skill to fool Heaven and Hell. But the most important in this sitting together at the end.

So sad.

They're sitting on a nice rock that looks like a bench, as far apart from each other as they can get. It's a reflection of where they were in season 1: together but apart. An angel and a demon who go along with their side but only as much as they want. Not and Us yet (which they still aren't).

A few other questions I had:

Turning the goats to crows, why? Crowley has a crow statue on his desk in season one. Connected? A memento of that time?

Aziraphale says he is on "Gods" side. Is that a nice little side step that allows him to defy other angels but still be "the good one?" Or a foreshadowing of what's to come next season?

Crowley says the wine is from a "promising little vineyard" Châteauneuf-du-Pape perhaps?

All the angels and demons assume you can cause humans to fall in love with miracles, but Aziraphale KNOWS you can't. I wonder about that story.

#2 - I Know Where I'm Going/The Resurrectionist

This minisode is a mirror for the current season. It starts with Crowley and Aziraphale puzzling over a half naked Gabriel only to be distracted by a lesbian couple and basically ruin their lives by trying to help.

Look at that thigh.

Sure, Azripahle gives Elspeth a bunch of money, but we never find out what really happens to her. Not yet anyway. The more important part is the argument about doing wicked or immoral things for the greater good. The reuse of the name Dalrymple is interesting because it's a call back to The Thundergun of Witchfinder Colonel Dalrymple aka the gun Aziraphale tries to shoot Adam with. And it foreshadows the end of the season with Aziraphale leaving Crowley and going to heaven (something everyone on the internet is SCREAMING is wrong, including me!!) because he thinks he can do something good by it. But is it wrong? I guess we'll find out.

Some interesting things:

More foreshadowing? Is God gone? There is a conspicuous absence of the voice of God in this season, except for her half heard diatribe to Job. If she's around, is she only talking to humans?

Michael's Prophecy:

"There will come a tempest, and darkness and great storms. And the dead will leave their graves and walk the earth once more. And there will be great lamentations. (Everyday it’s getting closer)"

It's definitely foreshadowing the next episode, which is full of darkness and explosions and clouds and fog. But I think it's also a prophecy of what's to come in season 3. Just like:

#3 - The Hitchhiker/Nazi Zombie Flesheaters

I think this minisode is just one big foreshadow for season 3 and that's why it doesn't make a lot of sense yet. So, let's look at where the furniture isn't and see if we can guess some things? Feel free to play along at home.

But first can we look at the titles of these three episodes:

The Clue - A Companion to Owls. Is the clue the companion to owls? Job? Or is the clue in the meaning of owls: wisdom and sorrow? The Clue in the framing story is the song "Everyday" and a quote "I remember when the Morning Stars sang together, and all the Angels of God shouted for joy." The sorrow of owls is their song, the sound they make represents lamenting, so music might be important next season. (Didn't King David have something to do with music? Or is that just a song I know?) Crows are enemies of Owls and Crowley has a thing for Crows, the statue, the goats, the book he gives Muriel.

I Know Where I'm Going - The Resurrectionist. I know where I'm going can mean "I know what I'm doing" (trust me) or "I know what direction I'm going in" and that direction is to to Resurrectionist! It's literally what happens in this epsiode: everyone goes to the Resurrectionist in the past AND the present. Or maybe it's a metaphor for death, a place everyone (human) goes. Or maybe The Resurrectionist, who represents the Metatron, the moral quandary of doing bad things for good reasons, represents NOT listening to God or yourself (and thinking you know what you're doing), but falling for the lies of people who claim to be doing good when they're actually not. There is also the Ressurectionist as metaphor for rising from the dead and there is a lot of hints about coming back from the dead this season: Lazarus as a unit of measure, the word Ressurectionist, literal zombies, talk of a second coming, probably more stuff I can't remember.

The Hitchhiker - Nazi Zombie Flesheaters. So “The Hitchhiker” is a short radio play by screenwriter Lucille Fletcher. It was first presented in 1941 on the Orson Welles Show and was later made into and episode of the Twilight Zone. It's also the name of a horror anthology TV show from the 80's, which is fitting for this episode, because it feels like an episode of the Twilight Zone or a horror anthology story. Mostly because of the literal Nazi Zombie Flesheaters and a good dose of "be careful what you wish for" moralizing.

So what can this episode tell us about next season? I have a couple of thoughts:

We have the idea of human magic. These zombies aren't just anyone, they are occultist Nazi's that were meeting with Aziraphale in season 1 to buy books of prophecy. They particularly wanted the Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, reminding us that some kind of real human magic exists, and that these Nazi's know about it (and they are now undead Zombies roaming the earth). There is also the mention of Free Masons, a secret organization that may or may not be into the occult. I suspect we'll see some kind of human occult/magic in season 3. Which make's sense with the second coming because by some accounts Jesus was an occult magician in his day.

We also have human magic. The regular stage kind. Here it is used as a kind of trust fall for Aziraphale and Crowley.

So sweet.

I suspect the boys will be placed in a situation where they will have to trust each other or die. Maybe there will even be a lose of power like this time. But they will definitely have to trick someone using mundane means. All three minisodes are about tricks (and arguably the whole season), the three ribs turning into the children, the melting the corpse and stealing the laudanum, the whole magic show episode. There will be a tricks, illusions, making things seem like they aren't. If there isn't I might be sad.

[kitkatt0430]

5, 10, 26?

5.) Has fandom ever ruined a pairing for you?

So my first thought is no and I think that's how I usually answer this. But it may actually be a bit more complicated in a 'no but yes' sort of way.

So. Oliver/Felicity was not the original plan for the Arrow. Felicity wasn't even supposed to be a main character. She wasn't even supposed to be there beyond that one episode she first showed up in. But the actress made such an impression on the cast, show runners, and the audience that she became more important. And while a lot of people - including myself - assumed she was an original character for the show, it turns out she was supposed to be just another comics cameo shout out to a character not even Green Arrow comics adjacent. Apparently comics Felicity Smoak was Ronnie Raymond's antagonist and step mom.

O_o The more you know, huh?

Anywho, presumably the original plan for the show was Oliver/Laurel endgame. Like in the comics, where Dinah/Oliver - with Laurel being Dinah Laurel Lance, after all - being Oliver's partner both in vigilantism and romance. It... obviously didn't go that way with Laurel being brutally and unnecessarily killed off for shock value in S4. And that may have happened in part because of the popularity of the Olicity ship.

Backtracking a bit here, but Felicity's actress and Oliver's actor had great onscreen chemistry from day one. I can understand why the show runners chose to pivot to this ship, given that chemistry and the sheer popularity of the ship with the fans.

Oliver/Felicity pretty quickly became the most popular ship for the fandom and it still is. Not even Oliver/Barry - the second most tagged ship for the fandom over on Ao3 - has even a quarter of the fics that Olicity has. 12,600+ fics as of this moment and no doubt it'll continue to steadily go up. (for comparison, Olivarry has 1,600+ fics tagged)

Honestly, I shipped Felicity/Oliver pretty quickly while watching S1 too. I liked their dynamic, that she was the sunshine to Oliver's grumpy, she was willing to call him out even when he still scared her, and she - at the time, anyway - was willing to respect that she wasn't entitled to his secrets.

But time marched on. The show began to flanderize the characters to some degree even as they fleshed them out in others. Felicity lost her willingness to respect Oliver's boundaries, Oliver proved incapable of keeping character development from one season to the next... and as Felicity/Oliver moved from interesting chemistry to ship tease to official couple, they began to bring out the worst parts of each other. And my enjoyment that they were finally together soured.

How much of them being the official couple was because of the show runners picking up on the actors chemistry independently of the fans and how much was them seeing how much the fans wanted it so why not... we'll probably never really know for sure. But I suspect that fandom's shipping of the characters in the early days before Oliver/Laurel had a chance to truly be cemented was what both contributed to them being the official couple and thus killing my enjoyment of the ship.

(I suspect that Laurel/Oliver were meant to follow the path that Iris/Barry eventually did. Both Laurel and Iris were dating someone else in S1, a someone else who died in the finale after a reveal that they were related to the main villain in some way. In S2 Iris and Laurel are both learning to move on and find themselves without that relationship. But in S3 of the Flash, Iris and Barry finally hook up, but Laurel begins her vigilante arc in S3 that puts her at odds with Oliver while Felicity gets a love triangle with Oliver and Ray where Ray 'dies' at the end of the season... a little familiar sounding am I right?)

So fandom did not directly ruin the Olicity ship for me, but there is an argument to be made that it did so indirectly. So no... but also yes.

10.) Most disliked arc? Why?

It's so hard to choose because, sadly, there are so many.

It could be Mark Blaine trying to kill Khione to get Frost back, throwing a hissy fit when he's told no, and then creeping on Khione like she's Frost's replacement goldfish.

It could be the promise that S6 would give us an important Iris plot that turned out to being Iris side lined in the mirror world, stuck there while the real plot was going on else where, being forced to watch a duplicate most likely rape her husband, be about to break out of the mirror world herself only to be immediately turned into a damsel for Barry to rescue, and the creepy way she doesn't speak at all between waking up after the 'rescue' and going to kickstart the modified ASF to wake the original Speed Force back up... (Okay, yeah, this is probably arc I hate the most but...)

It could be how we were promised an important plot line for Cisco in S7 before he left the show and got what looked like the show runners forgetting about that until the last minute, giving us what could have been a fun episode if it were not completely ruined by Cisco's massively out of character decision to tell his besties he's leaving for ARGUS at the last minute. After making Cisco the one who stays at STAR Labs in the bad Savitar future and showing again and again how important his friendships are to him... to have him treat his friends like that was kinda shitty, tbh. Hell, most people treat bosses and coworkers they dislike better by giving the optional two weeks notice.

Armageddon. I think I've complained about that enough that my reasons for hating it are well known by now.

26.) Most shippable character?

Oh this is so hard to pick. I'm a multi-shipper so all the characters are imminently shippable to me, whether it's romantic, a QPP, or close friendships.

But if I try to narrow it down, it's either Cisco, Barry, or Hartley. I've written the most for a search on Cisco Ramon/* of my works, but Barry's a close second when I do Barry Allen/* but I think Hartley's got the most crossover ships that I ship regardless of whether I've written for it or not, such as Tommy/Hartley, Rip/Hartley, Ray/Hartley, etc. (Mick started on the Flash but he's primarily a Legends character. Does he count as a crossover ship? Yes but also no. And no but yes.)

Though of the ladies, I think Iris is probably the most shippable to me though Caitlin is a close second despite my arospec headcanons for her. Iris has a lot of chemistry with a lot of characters and while the number of romantic ships I enjoy for Caitlin is narrower, I'm more likely to contemplate different types of ships for her such as QPPs.

[theheightofdishonor]

I have a couple more shows on my watchlist and once that's done i think i'll be taking a (probably brief) break from asian dramas to focus on some of the other dozen watchlists i have (anime maybe? i might skip jojo and try daiya no ace again- we'll see though)

I'm hitting the 300 dramas mark soon (that's 300 completed mind you, not counting movies, and not counting things i've dropped) so i'll probably write something later in the year too reflecting on both the shows that've come out this year and the ones i've watched

For now i thought i'd jot down a couple notes about the currently airing shows i'm keeping up with since i haven't had time to do that in a while. I'll be doing this in the order I watch them in.

Middleman's Love- ngl I'm solely watching this for King and Uea. I know some of you like this show but the main couple just don't work for me and the side couple are only mildly more interesting. I'll keep watching it to the end but it's a skim watch.

Twins- A great example of how silly is fine when it's enjoyable. I fucking adore this show right now. This has volleyball in it and I'm a haikyuu!! fan before i'm a person so of course i was going to watch this show no matter how dumb it is but it's great. I'm having a blast. I like the family dynamics, I like Sprite, I like how they're committing to the 'slow' part of 'slow burn', I like all the stupid hijinks, I like that I can watch this show and be like "oh he's a Setter, like Kageyama!", I just like it. Poor First though, doing all this work of unlearning his hatred for Zee for no damn good reason.

My Dear Gangster Oppa- This one used to be first on my list but after the dumb breakup last week, it's dropped down. I hate the noble idiocy trope as @lurkingshan calls it. It's stupid, it's annoying and I don't think this week's episode made up for it. Shame really, I was quite enjoying this show at first. The chemistry's good and cliches are fine when they're enjoyable. If it wasn't ending next week, I would drop it.

Last Twilight- Saving the best for last because a) it's a heavier show with more to think about than any of the above and b) youtube's interface annoys me.Tbh I only started watching this in the hopes that it might rewrite my current reflex of wincing everytime I see Jimmy's face in a gifset but it's such an excellent show. Aof's directing and storytelling is excellent as usual and he really does deserve credit for how handles his actors. Watching JimmySea in this and then vv is like whiplash.

ps. Pit Babe- i'm not invested in keeping up with this show and my desire to do so depends on factors such as the amount of free time I have and how reluctant I am to use youtube to watch Last Twilight. It seems to have inklings of an interesting plot + obviously it's fandom history cuz of the a/b/o but the way they only half lean into the omegaverse aspects of it without explaining anything makes me wonder what people who aren't familiar with the concept of omegaverse think about this show and how they understand it. Like it has to be confusing without context, right? Mostly, i'm just watching for Nut Supanut and Nut Supanut only though it remains to be seen whether my affection for him will eventually be worn down by how annoying his character is. I swear, if it were played by anyone else or if I cared about the main characters to any extent, I'd find Way insufferable. But so far, i'm supporting all his wrongs. Especially when he looks so damn pretty doing it.

[becauseplot]

Last night I finished Ordem Paranormal: Calamidade Episode 2! A five hour episode---lots of things to think about lots of things to talk about, hooooo boy.

Second set of characters! Second set of characters! More little guys for me to rotate!

Going into this season, I already knew that there was going to be another team of players/characters moving through the story, but this doesn't make it any less of a delight! So happy to see Luis, Triz, and João back in action, and now we have a couple new players, Mount and Zero. Exciting!

I suppose this is what Cellbit meant when he said at the beginning of the season that even he doesn't know how this story will end. Since we have our "good guys" team and "bad guys" team, the success of their respective order's missions is going to depend directly on the players' actions. The fate of the story has been almost entirely put in the hands of the players. And now whatever happens, happens.

This episode wasn't particularly plot-heavy: mostly just a bunch of fights one after the other. But that's not to say this episode wasn't without its moments. And it certainly didn't feel like it was lacking on the character-front, no sir. It was a pretty fun episode for me, because I love watching fights---not as much as I love watching character moments, but the fights are fun as well. And they can also lead to character moments!

Depicted: the Escripta crew demonstrates all five stages of grief simultaneously as T-Bag takes 38 damage in a single round from Signore Leone.

Alright let's go down the list.

Demir and Boris! Lumping them together because I. I'm sorry I don't have any major feelings about them right now. They exist! They seem to be twins! They had a brother whose name I can't quite remember but presumably died to something to do with the Devil, if I remember correctly. All the more reason to want to do away with the paranormal. Could they be the same brothers that the previous case was about? Probably not, but interesting that we have some characters with a direct history with the Devil. I just really think it's funny that this is the second time Luis has played a character with a "body double" if that makes sense. I don't quite know how to articulate it but out there exists some sort of Venn-Diagram between Damir and Luci/Fer with a non-zero middle part.

Anyway very interesting combat strategy they have, with Damir using rituals to buff Boris' weapon and defense for combat. They both care deeply about each other, as is obvious with the ways they try to stick close and protect each other. They're not just siblings, they're a functional duo! Also I believe it was Demir who said, when "the Devil" showed up, "This is not our fight." Something like that. Do I sense a hint of reluctance to fight for the Escriptas? To lay down your life for them? Why join in the first place? Is it better to cut your losses? Incheresting... (I could also be completely making this up, but I'm too lazy to go back and check.)

T-Bag! The rabid feral dog of the team! Auto subs hated whatever the hell he was saying about killing his dad but I'm convinced that 50% of what was coming out of his mouth was unhinged nonsense so it's...alright, I suppose. I find it infinitely hilarious that this guy has one of the largest sanity stats of the whole team. Yeah he might be crazy but he's not crazy, you know? His craziness is not a detriment to him, it's just how he is. Just a hungry little cannibal guy <3 Just looking for his next meal <3 Eating Artemis' possum for a snack to tide him over <3

Artemis! Firstly her personality is. So funny? Whenever shit is going down she always seems annoyed, like, "Man, now this is happening? Come on. 🙄" And meanwhile the "this" that is happening is a bunch of people are beating the shit out of each other and trying to murder her. When Gal (we'll get to him a second don't worry) sat down on that table in the front room to do his typical postering bullshit, Artemis just rolled her eyes and shoved him out of the way so that she could level her sniper on it. And that endeared me to her immediately <3 So sorry Triz's little possum friend got eaten two seconds into the season. 2 for 2 on dead animal friends, I'm afraid. Funny to think about how the Marcados are (theoretically) connected to each other by their players, and Triz's characters unfortunately inherited the link of "Animal friends who perch on your shoulder get their necks snapped." Sorry :T

Oh yeah and she's a cannibal too! Diversity win! There are two cannibals on the team and they are very different people who come from clearly very different walks of life and have a different style of cannibalism! That really caught me off guard. When she started to eat the dead body beside T-Bag I was shocked and absolutely delighted. Oh, she's a little fucked up too! And she can shape-shift, apparently! Artemis always kept me guessing this episode. Love her <3

Teammates <3

And of course, we now come to Gal. The bastard. The melodramatic sadistic motherfucker who's been here since the beginning of this shitshow. I've said this a billion times in the discord but GOD I love how João plays him. João's performative playstyle is absolutely perfect for a performative, arrogant character like Gal. Ever since his first appearance in OPD, João has put his heart and soul into making this character fucking rotten and wrong and sick, and it works. so. well. Like I said, you LOVE to hate this guy. Gal is a fantastic character, expertly crafted to be the perfect villain. Even on a meta level---João will sometimes go as far as to interrupt Cellbit just to keep being evil (cutting off the closing narration of OPD ep 6 to continue describing how Gal goads at Joui and co about Liz's death, to keep counting up his dice on the attack on the first Leone even after Cellbit has told him the guy is dead) and even goad the players (OPD finale, at Guaxi: "Might want to start thinking about a new character, eh?") to make sure that you hate this guy's putrid shriveled guts. No joke, when João showed up on the screen and Gal's little icon appeared on the tabletop, I just about foamed at the mouth.

My genuine reaction on discord.

GOD I love Gal. I want to rip his throat out with my bare hands. I would do unspeakable things to this character and I do NOT mean in the sexy way.

But! We got to see a little more of Gal as a person this session, which I really loved. Seeing him outside of combat and interacting with his subordinates was so much fun. He's fond of some of the Escriptas under his command (when they're not annoying him), especially his "son" Dagan. The way he treats Dagan is almost pet-like and sickly sweet, emphasis on the sickly. He ruffles his hair, brings him gifts, smiles fondly at the thought of Dagan having fun murdering a bunch of people in the rooms upstairs. Honestly it's kind of cute? In a fucked up way to be sure. Still cute though. That's Gal's little guy! Everyone needs a little guy!

I think at the heart of Gal's leadership style is that he has no patience for dealing with people who he thinks should know better. Otherwise, he's chill with you---or as chill as this sadistic bastard can be---and will even try to care for you.

POV: you have to explain to your stupid lackey for the second time that the evidence needs to be translated because you don't speak Italian.

Because on some level, he cares. It shows in how he treats Dagan, it shows on how gently he treated that one soft-spoken girl with the dyed hair (whereas Damir just snapped at her for not making eye-contact when she was talking to him, the dick), it shows in how he tried to do something stop Signore Leone from advancing when Signore Leone used his lionhead mace to throw Artemis against the wall, and it shows how when "the Devil" showed up, Gal looked to Kian and said, "Don't let them [the Escriptas upstairs] die." Even if he knows that all of them will have to die in the end to achieve Kian's goal of destroying the paranormal, some part of him still cares about his team. Sure, it could be that he just wants to make sure that they maintain enough man-power to see the job all the way through, but...no, it's not entirely that. There's something under the surface there, as twisted as he may be. He is not immune to giving a damn.

Kian. This guy. Fucking nerd. I don't dislike his character but I don't have any super strong feelings about him, probably because we haven't seen him as a character very much at this point. His reasoning behind destroying the paranormal is still some whack-ass shit. Over 4000 years to come up with a plan and THIS is what you arrive at? You're kidding. For a guy who """knows everything""" how could you POSSIBLY miss the detail that massacring thousands of people would, I dunno, CAUSE AGONY AND FEAR, which would, I dunno, WEAKEN THE MEMBRANE AND THUS MAKE THE PARANORMAL INFLUENCE IN THE WORLD WORSE. Chopping heads off hydras is what he's doing. Idiot.

It's talked about during Gal's conversation with Signora Leone in the office upstairs. Interesting for a character to understand and possibly even sympathize with the Escriptas' motivation. Signora Leone wants the paranormal to end too! She would do anything to rid the world of it---anything, that is, that doesn't require murdering thousands of innocent people. Gal tries to justify the mess downstairs as "it's the paranormal that's killing your family" like no bro I'm pretty sure that was you?? I get what he's saying, but if the paranormal no longer exists, or if the world was somehow reformed so that it's like the paranormal never existed, who's to say that the Leone family still wouldn't be involved in some sort of dangerous, non-paranormal dealings? It's such a subjective argument. Second grade level of critical thinking. Guess that's what happens when you get indoctrinated into a cult. "Kian sabe" oh please Kian doesn't "sabe" shit.

Anyway, that's about all I have about this episode. The NPCs were cool, watching Gal babysit his gaggle of weirdos was fun, and I liked the part where they nearly blew up T-Bag by firing a bazooka into a (closed) safe. They're so good at this.

Huh, feel like I'm...forgetting something...

OH WAIT.

JOUI IS BACK! MY BOY! MY BESTEST FAVORITEST BOY IS BACK AND HE IS PISSED.

Good lord. I actually screamed when this happened. I just. Okay how do I manage to take the chanting of jouijouijouijouijouijoui in my head and turn it into something intelligible by other human beings.

Let's start with the fact that I LITERALLY posted my Joui sword OPD rambles when I was less than an hour of episode away from this fight. I was over here angsting over the loss of Joui and missing him and talking about how fucked up it is that Mascara-Joui still has his sword, and then I get hit with this. I just. Okay! Sure! Why not!

To be clear: yes, I had seen Joui's OPC character miniature online before, both with and without the mask, and I knew from friends on the discord that Mascara-Joui had a stat sheet and he was STRONG. But, I figured that because Joui is still technically hanging around, it would make sense that maybe he could be like, a fight-assist NPC that would show up at some point to help the Ordem crew. Still an NPC, still emotionless, still masked, still not really Joui. So to see Luba return and play a version of Joui that CLEARLY retains his Joui-ness had me falling out of my chair. It was the last thing I expected. I really thought Joui's fate would be final, a no-going-back deal, since that's a pretty common theme with Ordem---permanent, inescapable consequences. I really thought that everything that made Joui Joui would be lost forever.

But no. Despite everything, Joui is still here, and he is not empty---he has his hate.

So many fucking questions. Most important of all: how is Joui here? He seems to have retained his memories from before he got masked (some of them, at least) but doesn't recognize who Kian is, mistaking him for Luci/Fer. I've got...one theory. Bear with me now. We know that the Devil is some sort of big-shot paranormal entity thing* who seems to thrive off of making pacts with humans. So, the Devil would not be too happy with people who are trying to stop the paranormal. This would include both the Order and the Escriptas, and especially the Escriptas since they're seeking to end the paranormal for good. So, perhaps the Devil used its power (made a pact with Joui somehow?) to restore Mascara-Joui and send him after the Escriptas. The Devil HAS to have something to do with this, considering the walls began to bleed when Joui showed up upstairs---something we know from ep 1 signals the arrival of the Devil---and the mention on the radio of someone claiming to see the Devil (perhaps it made a brief appearance before leaving Joui to it).

*A correction to the previous journal post: this is not the first time we have encountered a seemingly sentient paranormal entity! The God of Death from OSNF was clearly intelligent as well! I have other thoughts about this but they're kinda meta so I won't put them here.

Also, Joui is a very Death-coded character: his pensiveness and the fact that he often thinks back on what has happened when he meditates, the motif of death hanging over him since that night in the graveyard where his friends died, being frozen and helpless to the inevitable as Liz was killed in front of him, his dead-set motive to kill all of the Escriptas following said death, his fate being taken out of his hands and sealed when he made the deal with the Mascaras (more inevitability) and being in a downward spiral trying to kill himself in combat over and over leading up to the deadline. There's probably the more, but that's the gist. I do believe Joui's NEX is well beyond 50%, and he's got to be Death.

Here, though, I see both Death and Blood. Death is in his single-mindedness in this fight. He's like a force of nature, unstoppable, inescapable, inevitable. Given enough time in that fight, he would've killed them all, there's no doubt about it. Blood is in the hate, the sheer hate, he has for Gal and the Escriptas. It is potent. Death is often distinguished the absence of emotion and the inconsequentiality of the flesh, so the hate and violent rage Joui feels cannot be from Death. It has to be Blood, and the Devil I'm sure would be happy to help fill in those gaps. Joui's hate and anger brewed for a majority of OPD, so the Devil has plenty to work with. I love to see my boy cranked up to an 11.

And the fight. Needless to say, it was incredible. Every line out of Luba's mouth was a banger, every attack and action he did had me losing my mind. What I loved the most was how Cellbit, Luba, and João worked together to make Joui Jouki the scariest motherfucker ever. Both João and Luba can be pretty descriptive with their character's actions, so they complimented each other perfectly. João's RP skills really shone here, playing into the choices that Joui made and making it clear how affected Gal was by this fight. If you've got the guy who revels in pain fleeing from the fight, you know it's serious. When Joui cut off Gal's arm and Luba apologized to João ("sorry, friend") João just smiled, nodded, and respected it. God that is. PEAK RP right there. Genuine appreciation for other players' decisions, even if it's at the expense of your own character.

And actually---who says it's an expense? Gal has clearly been shaken up by this fight. Like João said, he's in shock. He lost his arm, the Escriptas are being slaughtered all around him, and Kian has seemingly abandoned him. There's plenty for João to work with here. I'm excited to see what he does with Gal, now that Gal's façade has finally cracked.

A final note about Joui... He really has changed, hasn't he? Yes, the anger is his. As I said, it's been brewing since OPD, but here, he is just out of control. No more of that self-discipline. He doesn't care anymore. He's angry. His hatred is beyond words. He has nothing but fury living inside him. Maybe that really is all he has left. I love the detail that his sword now heals people, but heals them wrong: a painful, twisted scar, leaving the flesh "rotten." That's what Joui kind of feels like now. A scar that healed wrong. A man restored but twisted by his pain and anger. And he will kill them all, one by one.

[FOLLOWING CONSTAINS SPOILERS FOR QUARANTENA]

And to finish it off: Joui tearing Hanna apart, limb from limb, furious, not reveling in it but dead-set on making her suffer just as he has before finally, finally killing her. Not really Nidere-core (Nidere definitely reveled in it fhdsk) but it is in my heart. Ouppy <3

[walker-extended-universe]

Previously I could make predictions like I kind of knew this was gonna happen tho, I had a feeling Cordell was gonna be in trouble, but now I have no idea what's gonna happen next. My best guess would be that he'll probably be buried but they'll prolly find him on time and get him to a hospital or something, and the hallucinations, that's the most interesting part for me, like what's he gonna hallucinate, from the trailer it seems like he sees the dead people he loved but from the photos that were released, Abby and Bonham are also there and idk what the place looks like, potted plants, white walls, so many chairs, funeral?wedding? And then the very last clip, it's like Cordell doesn't wanna leave this drug induced mind palace and Emily is trying to pull him out of this trance..

It's gonna be a bumpy ride the next few episodes. What do ya think?

My current theory is that they're going to find Cordell just before he gets buried and he'll go through some kind of recovery in 4x12 or off screen. I also feel like we'll be getting the payoff to Cassie warning him that going rogue doesn't just affect him in the last episode.

As far as what's happening in Cordell's head, I'm curious about the implication that it's just up to him whether or not he wakes up. It feels very reminiscent of a supernatural plot, which is fine. Part of me is hoping it turns out a little more like prodigal son and Cordell wakes up knowing exactly who the Jackal is based on clues from his dream. Very much looking forward to him interacting with Emily. It's been too long <3. Also love the confirmation for me and @theladywyn's theory that we would see Hoyt again after that one BTS post.

I'm thinking the stuff with Abby and Bonham is at some kind of ceremony. I know initially we were thinking it could be August's graduation, and that's still not out of the question in my mind. I don't think it'll be a funeral. The most outlandish thing it could be is a wedding for Hoyt and Geri but I just don't see that happening. The mood isn't somber like a funeral but it doesn't seem to be decorated like a wedding. More like a graduation or some other professional ceremony.

It's going to be a very bumpy ride for the next couple of episodes. I'm still thinking the finale is going to be more removed from the Jackal storyline and have everything wrap up for a mostly satisfying ending.

[phantom-of-the-501st]

Thoughts on some of the Mando negativity

I just wanna start this by saying that if you didn't enjoy the premiere, then that's fine. I'm not gonna start claiming that if you didn't like it, then you aren't a SW fan because that's stupid. If you disliked it, fair enough. I'm sorry that you didn't but I totally respect that it's your opinion.

Now let's just do a quick skim through some of the criticisms I've seen.

Should probably start off with the big one, which is the whole TBOBF issue! I can understand why they wanted Din and Grogu together again for this season because their dynamic is an integral part of the show (also, because of money). But when they were reunited in TBOBF, we all knew that this was gonna be a problem. They said that they're gonna try and write it in a way that covers the things people may have missed, but it's obviously not working too well so far. 😅 Personally, it hasn't ruined my enjoyment, so I'm kinda over it now. But I totally understand the frustration and do acknowledge that it wasn't the smartest decision.

Seen some people saying that they don't like the dialogue and that it feels AI generated. Personally, I don't have much of an issue with it but I do kinda see where people are coming from. I think the biggest thing is that it feels a little exposition-y and that's probably because they're trying to bring people up to speed if they haven't seen the TBOBF (we've already addressed how well that's going though). Obviously, it's definitely not like the amazing monologues we had in Andor, but this show is also more accessible for younger audiences, so they're gonna tone it down a little bit.

Which sort of brings me onto the next point: it feels too childish. Once again, I think this is a result of Andor. The Mandalorian has always been campy and fun. Sure, you get some serious moments, but they're not going to chuck them into the first episode of the season. They're just keeping it light and quirky to bring everyone back into the world of Mando. If you didn't enjoy it, fair enough, but I don't think it's too far off from the other funny moments in the show.

It felt rushed! I'm kind of with people on this one because I do think that everything could have done with being a couple minutes longer, especially with it hopping around so much. But I didn't find it to be a major issue, just that we were hitting a lot of story beats very quickly.

Nothing happened. I think this mainly comes from the fact that this is one of the only times when we haven't had a complete story within an episode (which makes me laugh when I think about how many people complained about it being too episodic) but I do think we need to remember that this is only episode 1. The entire point of this episode is to set up the story arcs that are going to be relevant this season. There was a lot to cover and I feel like trying to tie it all in to a complete story in episode one wouldn't have worked so well. It feels like this is one of those episodes that may be slightly more accepted when the rest of the season comes out, but who knows.

So yeah, that's just my two cents on some of the criticisms I've seen. Once again, if you didn't like the episode, then that's fair. I'm not here to call anyone a fake fan or anything. SW shows are never going to be for everyone and that's fine.

The whole TBOBF fiasco definitely didn't help it out much because they're struggling to keep everyone up to speed. But we'll see how it goes throughout the season.

I think the other issue is Andor. That show was such a success (for good reason) but now it means that everyone is expecting everything to be that show (I'm seeing this with TBB as well). The Mandalorian has always been more quirky because it's designed to be consumed by a younger audience (not to say that adults can't watch it). Objectively, I do think that Andor is better, but I also can't rewatch it as much as I do Mando because it's a more emotionally heavy show. Andor is not Mando and Mando is not Andor. It's perfectly fine to prefer one over the other, but I don't think that there should be an expectation for Mando to be something that it never was. If you've fallen out of love with it, then I'm sorry to hear that.

I think the main take away is to just wait it out and see how the rest of the show goes. This is only the first episode so we can't hinge the entire season on this.

[Hopefully this didn't sound ranty. I don't wanna sound like I'm having a go at people for their opinions. 😅 This is just my thoughts on some of the critiques that I've seen.]

[whencallstheheart]

Just wondering I saw the viewing numbers for season 11, 1.77m and I heard people already saying that this is the lowest than s2, do you think it’s any cause for concern? I heard the Way Home barely broke 1m and got renewed. Not sure how accurate this is. Not to be pessimistic but I don’t know, I’m getting nervous just with the fact that we waited so long!!

combining with this one...

When ratings are posted overall, is it just the live viewing or the live+3 viewing? im just hoping that the S11 premiere can still do well and that bitter Lucabeth fans won’t use it against us to say that because E + N are getting paired, the ratings have dropped. Seems silly, I know….

First of all, I haven't been able to find a source for those numbers to see the data myself. I'd like to see the demo and all of that. I saw the post earlier though but I'm not sure where they got that number.

You can't compare ratings now to anything from 10 years ago because the cable and streaming landscape is vastly different now. You can't really even compare from the past couple years. People don't watch things live like they used to. Fewer and fewer people have cable which means ratings are down overall for everything. A lot of people watch the next day or via other streaming services and those numbers aren't included in the initial live ratings. We'll get that data later this week probably along with a press release from Hallmark celebrating the ratings.

The highest number for season 2 of The Way Home was 1.36 for the finale which was lower than all but 1 episode in season 1. It was still the most watched show with those "low" numbers.

You don't need to worry. The show isn't going anywhere. It's getting more press than ever. If Lucabeth fans have a problem (when do they not?), you can simply point out that ratings went up in season 10 after Elizabeth dumped him. 🤷‍♀️ Enough said.

[malepresentingleg]

Reasons why Por and Tiw are secretly dating

I'm doing a rewatch and so I've decided to gather all the evidence and lay it out here (with shitty gifs bc i don't know how to), because I love this pairing so much: the least brain cells character with the one that makes everything happen, what a beautiful combo :')

Episode 1:

That's a weak tiwpor episode, the best I could find was how after the band finds out Tinn is a judge in the temple competition Por is happy - probably because he knows Tinn is his boyfriend's buddy (and possibly that he has a crush on Gun?).

Episode 2:

No more words are needed. Por is simply pulling his boyfriend with an affectionate "you", even tho at this point the band supposedly doesn't even know Tiw 👀

Episode 3:

I just thought this was cute, he wants to give his bf the recognition he deserves for helping them all!!

Episode 4: I couldn't find what I had saved so I'll skip that but I'm sure it was there!!

Episode 5:

This was of course such a sweet moment between the two! It starts by Tiw remembering he's a moronsexual (the famous "why confused?" by Por), then he gives him advice about his mom.

The familiar way they speak with each other can be the result of a week of tutoring, but it's clear Tiw knows him pretty well..

Episode 6:

Okay this is like. Damning evidence.

Obviously the three couples of the series are the couples of the clip but -

In the original, the noodles shop pair is the only one that's clearly an actual couple at the end, which tells us that at this point, tiwpor are the only actual couple (true, since we see the other two get together in the following episodes).

The other two couples had to have intense preparation before the shooting, because they still had progress to make. Tiwpor? They don't need it since they already are dating.

AND that's also the only couple we don't see shooting their scenes at all. Why? Are they trying to keep some relationship a secret or something?? Very sus. They hid the noodle shop shooting both from the rest of the gang and from us the audience, just like they do with the tiwpor relationship :')

~That's actually where I reached in my rewatch but from what I remember:

Episode 7: Por was all for canceling the no dating rule, very sus. Also he tells Gun he's singing love songs better, and "whoever is the cause" is good for him, almost like he might have inside information about Gun's relationship status from someone...

also, this bit after Por and Gun talk and Gun turns to lovingly stare at Tinn, look who else is there turning towards them 👀

Episode 8: I'm blanking again, might edit when I reach it.

Episode 9: Cute water splashing in the sea.

Episode 10: "MY dear student council" when asking for approval on the posters + the whole "hmm does Tiw has a secret crush on Por", and Por doing the surprised Pikachu meme

Episode 11: I mean, the whole damn thing :')

Though I will admit episode 11 did throw me off because I thought it'll be revealed for sure. Instead, we got pre-relationship flirting vibes rather than the established relationship vibes I was expecting for some of the scenes but then it went back to secret boyfriends vibes?

In conclusion: Either I'm completely clowning and next episode they'll barely get together, or we'll finally get to see them being openly cute and boyfriend-y. It'd be very weird for one of the 2 main side pairings to have so little content otherwise, just saying.

[lemotmo]

Oh my god I didn't even think of that regarding lfj 🤣🤣

Q. Umm maybe I'm crazy but I believe instead of his fans being mad that he 'liked' a photo they should

maybe be upset at something else that proves?

A. Yeah I'm with you, anon. They can no longer pretend he's just not been on social media and that's why he's not interacting with them. He's clearly been around, and now we have proof that he's intentionally ignoring them. I mean they don't have any other excuses left. He's obviously seeing them and deliberately not responding to or engaging with them. That should tell them something. The interesting thing here for me though is the BTS stuff we've received. We now know the pic that looked somewhat like wedding decorations is Madney's backyard. Which would indicate that it's Chim and Maddie's wedding reception. And he hasn't been filming. He hasn't, let it go. His presence on set would not be a secret. So him not being Buck's date for that is odd if they're still together. Sure they could have him be at work but that's stupid at this point, especially if the goal was having the audience invest. Which has not at all been the goal so far. So I wonder if we are going to get some kind of flash forward episode where Buddie are together or clearly growing closer by the time of the reception, and then when the inevitable emergency occurs the screen fades to black and we just see the words '3 months earlier' and the next several episodes are the story of how we got to where the show opened at the wedding reception. That would explain Tommy not being there and would also explain Lou not filming. That would mean Tommy's part maybe wraps up during episode 4 or 5. Obviously we're all just speculating now but him not being at the reception is suspect. That coupled with his, now confirmed, ice out of his fans, means something. He either really did get the off screen break up treatment or he found out he was only in one, maybe two episodes, and decided to give himself some distance now before their inevitable meltdown. Who knows, anon. Who knows.

Thanks Nonny!

Yep, he is out there happily liking stories and pictures on Instagram, but he's ignoring his hardcore fanbase. Someone sat him down and had a stern word with him for sure. Whether it was someone from the show or someone from his management. We'll never know.

As for Lou not being at that backyard Madney party? If you've read the previous ask I just posted, you know my stance on that. While all the signs are there that he most probably wasn't, I'm still very hesitant to say it. I'm not claiming they're hiding him, but he could have just stepped outside during the break in between filming. Correct me if I'm wrong, but we didn't see JLH either in that bts, while she is more than probably there. So yeah, I'm not so sure he wasn't there at all. (I do sincerely wish and hope he wasn't though.)

Not that it mattered. If he was there it's for plot device reasons only. It would only mean that we are one scene closer to him leaving. :) And let's not forget they asked Ryan and Oliver to do that promo video that day, so... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I do still like the idea of a flash forward. There's so many ways they could make that interesting.

But it's like Ali says: who knows? We'll have to wait and see.

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If you are interested in more of Ali’s posts, you can find all of her posts so far under the tag: anonymous blog I love.